55 area firefighters compete in combat challenge

TUCSON - More than 55 firefighters from all over Southern Arizona competed in the Tucson Ultimate Firefighter Combat Challenge on Saturday.

The TUFF Combat Challenge is organized by the Climb for the Fallen group - to spread awareness about the tough work first responders do on a daily basis.

The challenge consisted of a readiness obstacle course aimed at displaying important skills firefighters must be capable of doing on a moment's notice.

This is the first year for the event. However, event coordinator Daniel Cramblit said he hopes it will reach more of the public in the future.

"We hope that we do get more public out here and this is a good chance for the public to come out and see what a firefighter does behind the scenes. This is stuff we train on all the time," Cramblit said.

The group behind the competition is also known for its annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb - where 343 firefighters climb in the name of each New York Firefighter who died on September 11th.